Bottle carrier



G. 'w. HOWELL BOTTLE CARRIER Nov. 16, 1948.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 24, '1944 GORDGN W. HOWELL NVENTOR i BY V /JAML.

' ATTORNEYS Nov. 16, 1948. e. w. HOWELL 2,454,178

' BQTTLE CARRIER V Filed Jin. 24, 1 944 Y 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 GORDON w; HOWELL INVENTOR u/wlg ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 16, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,454,178 BOTTLE CARRIER Gordon W. Howell, Seattle, Wash.

Application January 24, 1944, Serial No. 519,490

2 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in a bottle carrier of the type operable to suspend a bottle by its neck, and, more particularly, a bottle carrying device that engages a bottle about its neck below the usual ridge thereon and is locked in gripping position by gravity mechanical means.

While in the prior art there are many bottle carrying devices, it has been my experience that they are too complicated of construction or operation, that they fail to provide a positive gripping action to preclude unlocking when handled roughly, that such earlier devices require materials that are critical in the present war circumstances, that they do not satisfactorily accommodate several bottles or one or two without alteration of the relation of parts, and for further obvious reasons such as high cost of manufacture, limited utility, and the like.

Having in mind the defects of the prior art, it is an important object, of this invention to provide a bottle carrier that is easily engaged about a bottle neck and is locked thereon by means actuated by merely lifting the carrier and such bottles or bottle as may have been engaged.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision, in a bottle carrier of the type mentioned, of a pair of relatively movable members that receive and are locked to a bottle without requiring manual force in so doing.

Still another object of the invention is to provide, in a bottle carrier as described, a unique bottle receiving and engaging slot that will support a bottle by its neck ridge but which can be removed from a bottle thus suspended rapidly and easily without requiring great dexterity.

The foregoing objects and others ancillary thereto I prefer to accomplish as follows:

According to a preferred embodiment of my invention, I provide in a plate a bayonet slot whose largest dimension is suflicient to accommodate the largest dimension of a bottle neck collar or ridge to be engaged and whose smallest dimension is substantially that of the bottle neck less the collar whereby, in introducing and removing a bottle from the slot, the largest dimensions is employed and, for carriage, the neck of the bottle to be carried in suspension is disposed in the smallest part of the slot with the collar above the slot. A plurality of these slots may be incorporated in a single plate so that many bottles may be carried by means of but a single carrier plate. For urging the bottle neck into the smallest dimension of the slot a pusher member is employed and is, preferably, a member that operates to press upon or draw the bottle neck when the device is lifted. This portion of the invention assumes more than one form as is more particularly shown in the drawings but which can be briefly described at this point. In one form I place under the first plate a second plate having an opening which will accommodate the largest dimension of the bottle neck collar and which is movable relative the first said plate. The two plates are spread slightly apart when a bottle is being engaged and are drawn into face to face contact and moved sideways relative each other when a bottle is to be locked therein. Preferably, in this form of the invention, the two plates are held together and moved by means of flexible handle member by which the carrier and any engaged bottles may be carried. Another form of the invention employs the same principle of drawing the bottle neck into the smaller portion of a bayonet slot but, in this case, such action is accomplished by a loop extension of the flexible handle member which loop passes around the bottle neck and is drawn tight by the weight of the bottle and the carrier when the same are lifted for carriage.

The novel features that I consider characteristic of my invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its organization and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood from the following description of a specific embodiment when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a view in perspective of one form of my bottle carrier Figure 2 is a plan view of a portion of the carrier of Figure l in the open position;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 showing the, carrier in the closed or locked position;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of another form of carrier embodying the principles of my invention;

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view of the carrier of Figure 2 as though taken in the plane indicated by numbers 5-5;

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5 but taken inthe plane of Figure 3 indicated 6-6;

Figure 7 is a fragmentary plan View of the carrier of Figure 4;

Figure 8 is a sectional view as though taken on line 8-8 of Figure 7, with the device in the closed position, and

Figure 9 is a view similar to Figure 8 but showing the device in the open position.

Referring to Figures 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 of the drawings, wherein I show a preferred form of my invention, it will be seen that the carrier comprises a pair of superposed plates having bottle receiving openings and handle means for grasping the carrier as well as for actuating the parts of'the same. The numeral l0 designates the carrier plate which here has a plurality of bayonet slots or openings II having the enlarged portion i2 and the reduced or looking portion 14. Portion I2 is of a size to accommodate a bottle neck and the usual ridge around or adjacent the mouth. Portion I4 is of a size, reduced by comparison to portion I2, that approximates the external dimensionof the bottle neck below its usual collar or ridge." Below. plate It is the locking plate M which has a plurality of openings l8 all substantially the same size as portion [2 of the bayonet slot openings just described.

Plates iii and it are movable apart and together as well as longitudinally relative each other. It is to be noted that the bayonet slots H in plate it) extends lengthwise of .the plate so that, when a bottle is engaged in any opening, portion. 12 receives thebottle to be gripped for suspension and either the plate moves so thatfthe reduced opening portion M is slipped under .the bottle neck ridge, or the bottle is moved into the reduced portion 84. In either event the bottle is retained for carriage in the reduced opening portion M, by being pressed v from the opposite side, by the wall of opening 53 as illustrated in Figure 6 which is to be compared with Figure 5 wherein is shown the relation ofthe plates to the bottles at such times as the bottles are being received or discharged. It will be apparent in changing from the relation shown in Figure 5 to that of Figure-6 that the plates are brought not only into face to face contact but also have been moved lengthwise of each other so that the openings i2 and 1B which were previously aligned are in Figure 6 disaligned and i8 registers under the reduced opening portion i4.

Such movement is accomplished by the flexible handle loop 25 which has its ends passed through openings 22 in plate ill and openings 24 in plate it, said loop ends being knotted or otherwise anchored to the underside of the latter. When the plates 50 and 56 are as shown in Figure:5 the handle loop 28, usually formed of cordage, is distorted to the side between the superposed plates which are spread apart. To move the plates to the relation of Figure 6; the

operator. need only lift on the handle loop. 20

whereupon plate M is lifted toward plate Ii] and,

in the usual course, the latter is caused to shift to the side in a manner that holes 22 and- 24 register andbayonet slot portion M engages -under the neck ridge of each bottle.

I have stated earlier that the action is one produced by gravity. I do so because it is my observation that when bottles are to be locked into the carrier the operator need only lifton= the-handle loop 29 which raises plate In and simultaneously shifts it lengthwise of the bayonet slots to cause the reduced slot portion I4 to partially encircle the bottle neck under the ridge.

neously raised toward the underside of plateill duringwhich movement it also shifts longitudinally of the bayonet slot openings but oppositely to the shift of plate it). It will be seen that this action precludes movement of the neck of the bottle relative the reduced portion of the slot so long as the plates are in face to face contact.

When a plurality of bottles are engaged as shown in Figure 6 they and the carrier may be lifted and'carried or set down and again lifted without any of the bottle becoming disengaged. However, when it is desired to disengage the :bottles, that may be accomplished with facility merely by manually shifting plates l0 and M in .each comprise an enlarged portion 34 and a reduced portion 36. Bottles are engaged in these openings as -before described but, in this instance, the means for accomplishing and holding this engagement is-"different. For this purpose I employ handle loop 38 which passes through openings 46 on that side of slots 32 which has the smaller opening 36. The lower portions form loop 42 which, .whenbottles;areengaged-and held as in Figures 8 and 9;draws the bottles from the enlarged opening portion34';intothe--reduced portion 3% when a pull is applied tohan dle loop" 38. To release. a bottle thusgri'pped the operator need merely grasp the loop l2'an'd draw a portion. of loop 3ll'downward throughthe-openings land the bottles may be removed.

WhileI have shown and describedparticular embodiments bftmy invention, it will occur' to those skilled in theart thatvarious changesand modifications may be made withoutdepa-rting from'the invention, and I, therefore-aim-in the appended claims to cover all sucn'changes-and modifications as fall within the true spirit-and scope ofmy'invention.

"Having thus described my invention; I claim:

1. A bottle carrier, comprising: a body portion for supporting-bottles by, their necks or rims; the body'portion including .apertured-upper and lowermembers of fiat sheet material slidably adjustable longitudinally one-relative to the other into bottle receiving and bottle carrying: ositions; aflexible handle: passing through saidupper inemberand being securedgto said 'lower member, said" handle operating 'to move said member longitudinally into locking position when said device is'lifted by said handle.

2. A bottle .h'older andcarrier, comprising :"two juxtaposed sheets face'to face and'relatively shiftable in their planes, said sheets. having overlapping. openings providing passages through the sheets which may be expanded or' contractedby theshifting of the sheets, said passages when expanded enabling the heads and neckspfbottles' to be passed" therethrough and'when' contracted enablingthe "sheets to engage the neck and :prevent withdrawal of the bottles, and a handle forthe carrier consisting of a cord-passing freely through apertures in the top-sheet and secured to" the under sheet; the-apertures being so located that a pull on the handle cords 'so shifts the sheets to bottle-gripping and carrying position and "maintains" them 'in that posi- "tion-while the bottles are-being carried.

'-REFERENGES' CITED .The'following references-are ofr-recordrin; the ufileofthis patent:

, UNITED STATESFPATENTS 

